Aphelion
by Marmelatta
Summary: Centuries of travelling the stars and saving the universe, and his reward is a cheeky alien girl with a loaded taser and a penchant for wearing on his last nerve. 11/OC Doctor/OC
1. Prologue

**APHELION**

_**Prologue**_

_When a dream takes hold of you, what can you do? You can run with it, let it run your life, or let it go and think for the rest of your life about what might have been._

_Patch Adams_

* * *

They'd met each other while crawling through a ventilation corridor in 39th-century France, their acquaintance starting off promisingly enough at taser- and sonic-point respectively. Thirty seconds into it, they had managed to shout their heads off at each other, get arrested for breaking and entering and nearly set fire to the greatest art collection of all time. When it was over, she kissed him, grinned, called him Space Boy and an idiot, and activated her battered Vortex Manipulator before he could get a word in edgeways.

He could still hear the TARDIS humming with laughter at the memory.

**o**

"Hands off that, Nina, here comes the expert!"

"Har. Har. Got more of these jokes?"

"Something funny about disarming a bomb, is there?"

"Very much, if your idea of doing that involves pointing a whirring piece of primitive machinery at it."

"Oi!"

"Oh, stop getting all offended, it's very unoriginal!"

"Fine, then. _You _can have a go."

"I—_Really?_"

"'Course. I'll just pop over to the next millenium before the whole thing detonates..."

"Oh, sod off."

**o**

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Wha—I'm rescuing you!"

"For the love of the Seventh System, when did I _ever _ask you to rescue me?"

*inaudible muttering*

"Oh, I'll give you _hormonal_, you blithering loon!"

**o**

"As if joining an intergalactic circus wasn't bad enough..."

"No one asked you to come along! You just can't stay away."

"Are you serious? Mutated velociraptor wrecking havoc a billion years out of its time zone, Judoon dancing on ice, Cybermen in tutus..." He caught her glare. "Yes, all right, we could have done without the last bit."

**o**

So when a striped-haired girl materialised in the middle of the TARDIS console room, dressed in neon green and swearing in Ancient Lyskerian, it was only natural that the Doctor would have mixed feelings about it.


	2. A Time and A Place

_**CHAPTER ONE **_

_**A Time and A Place**_

_A man who has never made a woman angry is a failure in life._

_Christopher Morley_

* * *

The console room lurched forward to the soundtrack of a sickening _crunch_.

Nina heaved an exasperated sigh. "Oh, great, now you've pissed her off!"

"No, excuse me, sorry—_I_ have?"

"Well, who else could it have been?"

"I'll give you a clue—she's mad, annoying, and nosing about where she shouldn't." He paused, taking in the neon green outfit and the black-and-white striped hair. "And has no dress sense."

"Says the alien in the bow tie!"

"_Oi_, watch it!"

"Don't you 'Oi' me!"

"Er, Doctor?..."

The pair of them wheeled around, Nina clapping her hands enthusiastically at the sight of the two humans.

"No, no, no, wait, I'll get it!" She clamped a hand over the Doctor's mouth and made the universal sign for 'shush' on her own before rushing over to inspect the bewildered companions.

By sniffing them.

"Um, what exactly...?"

"Sol-3?" she asked hopefully, glancing back at the Doctor.

Who was quite busy mouthing 'just a crisis, happens all the time, don't mind her' behind her back, and who quickly turned that into a yawn the moment Nina's head snapped back.

"Tut, tut, tut," she shook her head, not falling for his act. "Hope he doesn't do that all the time," she continued, turning to the Ponds. "Then again, knowing him—"

"_Right_, then!" the Doctor cut in, looking rather eager to put a muzzle on the new-comer. "Back to business—_what _have _you _done to _my _ship?"

As though in confirmation of his words, a mini earthquake had the lot of them fumbling for purchase.

"No need to get tetchy!" Nina protested, impossibly aloof to the whole thing. "You haven't even introduced me to your friends."

"FINE!" yelled the Doctor, patience worn to a thread. "Nina, the Ponds; Ponds, Nina. Thanks to her interfering with the TARDIS circuits, we are about to crash into a supernova. Any questions?"

And because it was considered something akin to an affront for Amy Pond to remain speechless for more than two minutes—

"...Does you hair grow out of your head that way?"

* * *

"No, don't you dare touch that switch!"

"You didn't mind me touching it when I was saving your arse on Kerazen!"

"Oh, rub that in, why don't you?"

At which point, Amy started clearing her throat, perhaps rather more loudly than necessary. "I'm sorry, could we please save that for maybe, I don't know..._after we've steered clear of an exploding star?_"

"Well, the earthling _does _have a point..."

"You don't say!"

"Doctor, is that..."

"You know, _some_times, just sometimes, I really do wish I'd never met you!"

"Well, in that case, _can _I just mention—the feeling is _downright mutual_!"

"Not meaning to interrupt your little chat or anything..."

"Having managed to get you out of a great number of tight corners, Time Boy, I wouldn't be so quick to get angry if I were you."

"_'Tight corners'_? I was managing just fine, thank you very much."

"Yes, I imagine it's much easier saying that when you're not about to be sliced to pieces by a rabid horde of Slitheen..."

"OI!"

The Doctor and Nina both seemed to finally, if belatedly, register the presence of Amy and Rory. The Scottish redhead in particular was sporting a rather demonic gleam in her eyes.

"This is actually very entertaining, Doctor, but do you think you could start paying attention to, let's say, other things?"

"Such as the fact that the power seems to have run out," Rory supplied helpfully.

With a final glare in Nina's direction, the Doctor scrambled over to the console screen and started jabbing at buttons—to a casual observer, his maniacal movements might even have seemed completely random. Soon enough, the four of them realised than, for the results his efforts yielded, such a supposition might as well have been true.

In the dimly lit console room of the TARDIS, matters were only just beginning to get serious.

"No, no, no, don't _do _that! It's a magnetic field, must have disrupted the Artron energy flows, but _how_? Who's been...ah."

Nina met his eyes in that strangely defiant way of hers. "I had nothing to do with that, if this is what you're thinking."

"You materialise inside the TARDIS while it is in orbit and then, _some_how, the whole system shuts down—am I the only one who finds that a tiny bit suspicious?"

"Not at all."

The voice, most definitely male, had a foreign quality to it—a blend of what sounded oddly like Italian coupled with a sort of guttural accent which none of them could quite put a finger on. But it so fell out that the voice itself had little to do with the current situation.

The doors of the TARDIS had just burst open, dousing the interior in the kind of effulgent light that blinds one standing directly before a torch.

"Have to say, though," the stranger went on, "it did take you some time to figure it out...or are you still struggling with it?" He laughed. "Shall I offer a little bit of help?"

The stranger took another step towards them, so that the light from outside didn't blur his features as much, and it was then that Nina let out a swear word that would have put the most foul-mouthed Terra sailor to shame.

The stranger, instead of flying into a rage, chuckled.

"Marvellous to see you, too, little sister."

* * *

_{Now Playing: Doctor Who Opening Theme}_

* * *

"Oh, come on, do we really have to do the guns again?" complained the Doctor, as a pair of leather-clad soldiers ushered him into a vaulted-ceilinged chamber. "Great big..._gun _things, why can't you people get a bit more original, eh? Join a salsa club, buy a cottage on Mango—did you know, the natives nearly went to war over naming this planet, had a huge argument with the bamboo plantations, I only just managed to stop them uprooting each other—GAH!"

A resounding _thud _informed the blindfolded Nina, Amy and Rory of what had happened better than any visual experience. Amy's unuttered "only a matter of time" seemed tp reverberate off the walls. As soon as the piece of fabric was snatched away from her face, Nina's eyes sought the Doctor, who was lying on the floor with a soldier's foot jammed against his back.

"Just shut your mouth, will you?" she hissed at him, at the same time realising it was no use. "These blokes here aren't going to be put off by your rambling."

"Well," growled the Doctor, trying to look dignified and failing spectacularly, "_next _time we are abducted by the brother I didn't know you had, I'll try harder!"

"_I_ didn't _invite _Karsten, if that's what you're implying."

"Talking about me?" came Karsten's voice, and now the Doctor knew what it was that made it so distinctive—that underlying hint of derision, of smugness. "Hope my little sister hasn't been boring you with tales of my greatness."

"Better still, she hasn't mentioned you at all."

Karsten's features twisted into the semblance of a smirk. "Sounds like her. You!" He beckoned to the men flanking Rory and Amy. "Take those two down to the vaults."

"What—NO! Get your hands off me! Doctor!"

"Don't hurt them, they're nothing to you, they're—"

"Please," Karsten interrupted, looking close to exasperation, as the soldiers walked off and the Doctor scrambled upright. "Cut down on the melodrama a tad, will you?"

"He has a point. Overdone it with the heroics lately," muttered Nina, much to the Doctor's annoyance. Then, turning to her brother, "All right, come out with it."

"Come out with what?"

"Gosh, that's so childish..."

"Which bit?"

"Feigning ignorance."

"Then why are you playing along?"

_SMASH._

"What the—"

The Doctor looked up from where what looked like an antique vase had tumbled to its demise. "Oh, sorry, was that supposed to be left alone?"

_You are so dying for attention_, thought Nina, smirking to herself.

"Actually..." she said out loud, walking over to the Doctor and registering the absence of any more soldiers in the room. "I think there's quite a wealth of breakable objects around here, don't you?"

"Now who's being childish?"

"Don't you want to play with your little sister, Karsten?"

"Nope..."

"Well, that's just plain rude."

"...I want my little sister to set the seas on fire."

* * *

**A/N: **So here's chapter one, the _proper _chapter one. I was suddenly consumed by an Eleventh Doctor mania and ended up watching all the episodes I could get my hands on, so you can blame that for this chapter being a bit...strange. Anyway, taking my cue from other fanfiction authors, I'll just take a moment to send out a huge thank-you to everyone who's made it to the end of this chapter despite the horribly amateurish writing, and especially to reviewers **MayFairy**, **QuakQuak**, **MyElusiveDreams **and **.Chaos** **:)**

You're all welcome to review with your thoughts, ConCrit, a Jammie Dodger...


	3. Of Gabbling On To No Particular End

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

_**Of Gabbling On To No Particular End**_

_Oh, we're actually very different, ergo one of a kind. But together we form some kind of strange mass of "wtf" which IS one of a kind._

_Black Rose_

* * *

"This," said Karsten, unfurling the scroll which rested on top of his mahogany desk, "is Nymphorax. Grade III planet, part of the Delta Φ System, chiefly inhabited by humanoids—"

"Ah, yes, lovely race, the Cereans. Threw a ball in my honour once, decided I was their long-lost patron, _then _tried to get me grilled..."

Nina whacked him on the arm. "Show off later, will you?"

"_If _we could get back to the point..." came Karsten's growl.

"Right. Yes. Nina, stop talking." The girl tossed him a murderous look. "Nina's brother—"

"Karsten."

"...That. You don't happen to have a fez around here, do you?"

"A what?"

"Never mind. What's important right now is that you tell us what you've intercepted the TARDIS for, _plus _why you've planted an artron inhibitor on your sister."

Karsten turned to his sister, half-annoyed, half-fascinated. "You never said he was a Seer."

"I thought 'insufferable know-it-all' covered it all quite well," muttered Nina, before fully registering the meaning of the Doctor's words. "_Artron inhibitor?_"

"_Ob_viously. Gravitated to the TARDIS and locked on to the system as soon as it came in contact. Advanced technology, actually. In _fact_..." His eyes narrowed. "Much too advanced. Makes you wonder where your brother got it from."

"He's a clever one, I'll give you that," chuckled Karsten, who did not seem too unnerved at his ploy being revealed.

Unlike Nina. "You did _what_?"

"My dear sister...you should never let me pour your rekkar," was Karsten's cryptic answer.

"You bastard," she seethed, realisation finally hitting home.

"I'm flattered," said Karsten. "Oh, Nina, you've become far too easy to predict. Drugging you was the hard part, if you can believe this. From then on, I just had to plant the inhibitor and wait a week or so till you ran back to your precious Doctor." He smirked.

"So where's the inhibitor now?" asked the Doctor, whose outward calm portended nothing good.

"In safe hands," said Karsten, and Nina understood.

They had been subjected to a thorough search before being brought aboard Karsten's ship—Nina could only too vividly recall the struggle she had put up (that is, before a soldier had held a gun to the Doctor's temple, making her freeze).

"I still don't understand what you need the Doctor for."

"Always slow on the uptake, that's my sister. Almost embarrassing, really, having to admit we're related." Karsten looked to the man in question, a knowing glance passing between them. "But _you _get it, don't you?"

The muscles in the Doctor's jaw tightened, but nevertheless he smiled. The Doctor, Nina had found out long ago, had an impossibly wide range of smiles. There was a sad one, a mad one, a shy one, a happy one...

And there was the smile that practically screamed 'I'm-in-a-really-tight-corner-right-now-I-just-don't-want-you-to-know-it'.

He was cracking such a smile that very instant, and Nina felt as far from reassured as it could get.

"It's never going to work," the Doctor was meanwhile saying to Karsten.

"Ever tried it?"

"It's a Grade III planet, you said it yourself. Whatever's down there, you'll never be allowed—"

"Do I strike you as someone who follows the rules, Doctor?"

"You'll need the TARDIS."

"So?"

"Who said I'm flying it?"

"You won't have to," Karsten surprised him by saying. "On board this ship is a team of this galaxy's most skilled technicians and engineers. I give them three days tops to figure out exactly how this blue box of yours works and then...ka-boom!"

The Doctor pursed his lips.

"Of course...there's always a risk of them screwing up at some point, being novices in the whole TARDIS flying experience and all," Karsten went on, feigning a casual attitude. "I suppose, in that case, it's up to you to decide whether you'll allow those innocents to blow themselves up in the attempt...or step in and save all of us the trouble."

Nina's eyes snapped back to the Time Lord. "What's he talking about?"

"Check the map," said the Doctor, slowly, quietly.

He pointed at the places where a plethora of nearly indecipherable notes blotted out the original print.

One word, however, was clear. _Ferstaio._

Cerean for submarine volcano.

"He's setting the seas on fire all right."

* * *

"So. Basically, your brother is a megalomaniac space pirate who's going to use the TARDIS to blow up a few volcanoes."

Rory's voice rang off his two-by-two cell, the second counting from the main vault door. Amy had been granted the first one, and Rory had been followed by Nina, the last having been left for the Doctor. The cells were connected by a miniscule, albeit barred gap in the intermittent walls—enough for communication, but not much else. Nina suspected those windows had been specifically designed to amuse her brother, and his twisted sense of humour.

"You missed the 'and thus put the entire population in mortal danger' part," she meanwhile grunted. "But, yeah, _basically_."

"Well, that's a relief." Amy had joined in, her Scottish burr made more prominent due to her irritation. "Your brother...he doesn't have any plans of letting us out of here, does he?"

"People who put you in cells rarely do, to be honest."

"Yes, I had a feeling you'd say something along those lines..."

Inconsistent banging succeeded this statement, and none of them had to think too hard to guess the source of it.

"Right and...stay away!" As the soldiers' footfalls died away, the Doctor appeared to second-guess Nina's thoughts. "And _yesss_, I'm aware of how pathetic that sounded."

Nina promptly shut her half-open, far-too-keen-on-talking-back mouth.

"So...I don't suppose you've got a plan to get us out of here, huh?" Rory called.

"'Course I do. Brilliant plan, involves outwitting the enemy and saving the day, with extra running bonuses."

"And that plan is...?"

"In the making."

* * *

The Doctor would have loved to say that he woke up to beams of golden sunlight splintering through the windows on the wall across from his cell—it would have at least added a touch of normality to the whole thing. Almost automatically, however, he reminded himself that this was Nymphorax—five-month-long winter without even a guest appearance from the star that heated this planet, and they had happened right in the midst of it.

"Doctor? Have you seen Nina?"

And things just _had _to go and get worse.

Well. Of course they did.

* * *

**A/N: **To **MayFairy**, **MyElusiveDreams**,** Writless **and two anonymous reviewers who signed as **kay **and** Lilly (thanks for reviewing on my other Doctor Who story as well!)**, you all have my most heartfelt thanks for keeping me going! Just reading through your reviews made me get my arse down and work.

Now, I realise there's been a humungous gap between updates, and for that I apologise. My computer crashed, then real life took over…what's new. I mean, I doubt anyone cares about this little bit of nonsense, anyway but, ah...

Not very pleased with this chapter...most of it comes across as a bit of a filler, I suppose. Still, I'm open to suggestions as to what I should change/improve etc etc. I'm kind of new to this sort of thing, so...yeah. :B

Thanks for taking to time to read, anyway!

Marmelatta


	4. Palladium

No point begging for forgiveness for the huge delay so – new season *tries to hold back squeal* What did we think about that? :)

As always, a thousand thank-yous to my lovely reviewers: **MayFairy**, **Descent .Into .Chaos (double loveliness)** and **Strange .Laughter** (computer just won't accept the proper spelling). Same goes for those who've added Aphelion to Favourites and Story Alerts – thanks!

The rest of you, congrats for making it this far! Hope you enjoy and always thrilled to hear from you guys!

* * *

_**CHAPTER THREE**_

_**Palladium**_

_I'm going to smile and make you think I'm happy, I'm going to laugh, so you don't see me cry, I'm going to let you go in style, and even if it kills me- I'm going to smile._

**o**

_"You're dangerous."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you make me believe in the impossible."_

_Simone__ Elkeles_

* * *

"He doesn't know, does he?"

Nina didn't flinch. Studiously avoiding her brother's eye, she started pacing around the chamber.

"Well…of course not. It would show," Karsten went on. "After all, he _is_ the Doctor. Heart on sleeve and all."

"Oh, you think you know him so well, don't you?"

"What's there to know, kid? That he's willing to sacrifice himself for others? Check. That sometimes he could tear the universe to bits if it meant saving one person? Check. That he tries to see the good in everyone? _Check_."

"That doesn't –"

"Doesn't mean anything? Oh, Nina, Nina…" Karsten smiled. "Of course it doesn't! What did you think? The Doctor being sanctimonious, that's old news."

Nina was trying to follow his train of thought. If that wasn't what he'd had her brought here for...

"Oh, I see."

"Yes, you do."

"It won't work. Not important enough."

"Might as well risk it then. No?"

Nina felt the blood thudding against her temples.

The world she had been born into did not take kindly to a lot of things – cruel and unforgiving, it had driven her away, yet dogged her footsteps even now. There was no love lost between the siblings, and they both knew that. After having travelled a good part of the cosmos, Nina was a tiny bit amazed by the fact that she could feel so little towards the person she had spent the better chunk of her childhood with, even if they didn't share a blood bond, even if she had by now realised the place they came from held altogether different beliefs on 'family' in comparison to those earthlings.

And she still wasn't completely convinced those beliefs didn't include crushing one's brother's head against a wall. Repeatedly.

"Is that all?"

"Well, I think it's quite enough, don't you?"

She looked away.

* * *

"I'm not buying the whole 'always-at-each-other's-throats' thing," chirped Amy, and the Doctor could almost feel her inquisitive, half-smirking eyes staring him down. For the past half hour, she'd done nothing but eyeball him, until she decided she'd like to find out more about Nina.

And, yeah, the Doctor was _thrilled_. Perfectly so.

"So what's going on with you two? And does River know?"

"Amy Pond, get your mind off the gutter! She's married, anyway."

That threw the redhead slightly off-kilter. Mind you, only _slightly_.

"What, seriously?" asked Rory, receiving a glare from his wife, probably on account of acknowledging the presence of another woman.

"Uh huh. To Luciano Pavarotti. Bit of a mix-up, really, that Slitheen at the reception –"

"Interesting...So you were there?"

"Of course he was there; it was _his_ fault I was getting married in the first place."

"Oh, hey, you're alive." Rory peered at Nina through the small gap in the wall.

Amy pressed on. "What does she mean, _your fault_?"

"Complete and utter lie," the Doctor protested fervently. "...I was only responsible for the engagement."

* * *

"Now, remember – it's the year 3401, no later. I've given you the coordinates; according to my calculations, they should get you straight into the heart of the volcano. Once you're there, just stick this – ah-ah-ah, not you, Nina, this little darling needs careful handling – and..._well_...ka-boom." Karsten's eyes took on a distant sheen. "Date has been set beforehand, no use trying to tamper with it, I'll know." He concluded with a lop-sided smile. "Well, off you go, then."

The Doctor stayed put. Beside him, Nina plucked some invisible lint off her sleeve, and wondered whether or not it would come across as something natural to forcibly direct him towards the nearby parked TARDIS. On second thoughts, though, it didn't look like he was any closer to budging than a stunned mammoth, so she gave up on the idea.

"What about Amy and Rory?" he asked Karsten.

"Have a little faith, Doctor. Do you think they're any use to me dead?"

"Then why not let them go?"

"Just a precaution. We don't want you getting any ideas, now, do we?"

The Doctor didn't reply. Instead, he took the device Karsten was proffering, then turned around and walked into the TARDIS, expression noncommittal. Nina threw one last look at Karsten over her shoulder before following, and shut the door behind her.

"Well, now would be a good time to come up with a mind-dazzling plan."

"Hm?" the Doctor looked up from the console. "Oh, _that_, yes. Of course, of course..."

"So what is it? The plan?" she prompted.

He pressed his lips together, his movements growing jerkier. "Haven't the faintest."

Nina stared. "Oh. You're in that...mood, aren't you? All sulky and weighed-down-by-the-world."

"Don't expect you to understand, Nina. Lives in danger, civilisations to save, kind of a regular thing around here."

"What, and sulking about it will somehow make it all better?" She sounded incredulous.

"Just- just..." the Doctor let out something akin to a muffled groan of frustration. Next thing Nina knew, he was once again slouching over the console, with a dismissive wave at her words.

Time Lords didn't deal at all well with a bruised ego, did they?

"What happened to you?" she asked, quietly, because that masochistic streak in her just _had_ to take a stand and make some more trouble. "You're different, somehow, I dunno..."

"Yes, well, things change," he snapped. "Change's good, isn't it?" And, afterthought-style, he added, "Unless it's bad, that can be tricky."

"It doesn't make it better," she said, slowly. "We've both tried it, you know how it is."

He paused, took a long breath, let it out again and stood studying her face for an infinite second – and she told herself not to blush, because he was the Doctor, and blushing was for humans and the last thing she needed was –

"Do you hear that?"

She snapped out of her reverie with a baffled, "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's beeping."

"What is?" asked Nina, but saw before she had even finished formulating the words.

Simultaneously, the two of them sprang back from the explosive device, whose dial had begun to flicker green, and which was now emitting soft squeaks.

Nina swallowed, suddenly nervous. "_Is_ it supposed to do that? I don't think it's supposed to do that."

"Right, let's see...what's happened to you, short-circuited?" The Doctor bent over the machine, eyes roving over the dial. "Ah, but of _course_..." he nodded slowly to himself. "Yes! Houston, we have a problem!"

"I'm _pretty_ sure you're not meant to look so pleased about that..." she frowned. "And, uh, my name's Nina?"

"Shut up, Nina, you're ruining the dramatic moment."

"...Weirdo."


End file.
